5 Common Financial Emergencies That Can Appear Without Warning During Retirement

Life often brings surprises and even with planning there are circumstances that occur which can change things dramatically. Such is the case even with retirement. People often plan every aspect of retirement years in advance but there are certain financial emergencies that occur, and if one hasn't planned accordingly the results can be devastating. 

Most people will either cut back or stop working entirely when on retirement, so their income is likely to be less than it was when working full-time. Fortunately, there are ways to minimize impact of these financial emergencies that occur. 

Here are five of the common financial emergencies that occur during retirement and the ways you can protect yourself.

Car Repair

For anyone, a car can bring unexpected emergencies in the form of damage that's not covered by insurance or a bill for unexpected car repair. Many retirees have a heavy reliance on their vehicles. 

You can guard against this emergency possibility making sure you have an adequate emergency fund and keeping your vehicle sufficiently insured.

Medical Emergencies

Medical emergencies are likely to be the single biggest category of emergency expenses that anyone will face while in retirement. Even with Medicare available, the medical issues that tend to arrive in later life are more likely to be ongoing and incurring more expenses than the medical issues we experienced when we were younger. 

The best way to plan against such medical emergencies is to avoid them in the first place by keeping ourselves healthy and in good shape throughout our adult lives. In addition to living a healthy lifestyle, it's important to make adequate insurance coverage a top financial priority as we age.

Damage To Your Home

Many retirees have a primary goal of paying off their home mortgage before entering retirement. While this can be financially beneficial, there are some consequences to keep in mind. The first is that you're not contractually required to have adequate insurance for your home when you no longer have a mortgage. 

The unfortunate result of this is that any significant damage to your home can cause you significant out-of-pocket costs if your insurance coverage is lacking. To plan for this scenario, review your homeowners policy each year and make sure you have enough coverage.

Family Emergencies

Financial emergencies may not only rise between you or your spouse. There may be situations that occur to your children or grandchildren where you feel it is necessary for you to assist. 

You might increase the size of your own emergency fund to address the types of implications these family emergencies bring, or you perhaps even set up a separate fund (one which you may choose not to disclose to your relatives) that you can have when such family emergencies arise.

Death of a Spouse

The death of a spouse can be tragic enough in itself. It can also sometimes trigger financial emergencies, which add on to the already overwhelming sense of emotional loss. 

For example, if you were retired but your spouse was still working, then the loss of income can be significant. To minimize the financial strain when this emergency occurs, make sure each of you have adequate life insurance until you're sure it's no longer needed.

Retirement can be a great part of your life, provided that you plan and save enough, adequately guarding against potential emergencies that can arise in life. These common emergencies can happen to anyone so it's best to be prepared. You never know when you'll have to write a check for a repair or a bill unexpectedly.

Investing in a Restaurant or Cafe: 5 Things to Remember

Restaurant businesses have a tremendous influence on the economy in the United States. Sales are expected to total over $700 billion by the end of 2015, according to the National Restaurant Associations. 

It is very difficult for entrepreneurship success without a detailed business plan and research on the market. There are five things future entrepreneurs and investors should consider before investing in a restaurant or café.

The Market of Restaurant or Café Industry

Potential business owners should perform market research and study the trend of the industry. When performing restaurant market research, include statistics, possible geographical locations, and trends. This information is very important and should be included in business plans for prospective investors and financial institutions.

Type of Funding to Operate Hospitality Business

Entrepreneurs fund restaurants and cafes with their own capital or through angel investments. After an entrepreneur has researched the industry, create a budget that covers startup, overhead, administrative, and operational costs. 

While there are successful restaurants, some businesses fail because of lack of research and budgeting. The budget should include a cost analysis of food items and supplies, such as breads, meats, condiments, plates, and utensils. It should also contain a list of distributors, like Klosterman Baking Company who delivers fresh bread items, for an example.

Restaurant or Café Business Structure

Future restaurant business owners have to decide the structure of establishments, including operations. The restaurant or café may be registered as sole proprietor, Limited Liability Company, or corporation. Most fast food, upscale, and casual dining restaurants hire managers, assistant managers, chefs, waiters, and other employees. The information about the business structure is essential for the business plan and budget.

Latest Restaurant Technology

Today, technology is used in the restaurant industry for customers' convenience, online menu viewing, and online order processing. Approximately 70 percent of consumers in the United States use iPhones and other smartphones to view menus on restaurants' websites. 

Amazingly, 79 percent of consumers said restaurant technology improved convenience experience.

Possible Risk

The possible risk of investing in restaurant or café is losing capital because of mismanagement, inexperience employees, and poor service. A detailed business plan and budget should be created and followed to reduce the risks involved in running any type of company.

If future restaurant entrepreneurs want their businesses to be successful, remember to research the industry, funding alternatives, business structure, technology, and risks. Create a business plan and include marketing strategies and budget. 

Also, remember to select reputable distributors and suppliers who deliver fresh food items and quality products.

How to Prepare Yourself Financially When Filing for Disability

Accidents happen every day to people who are sometimes doing nothing wrong. They happen on the job, in school, and at places of business. Sometimes accidents occur in the comforts of one’s vehicle. 

Preparing for a disability from an accident is difficult since no one ever knows when one will occur. However, the average consumer can do the following five things to save money while he or she is applying for disability:

Deposit a Portion of Work Checks into an Interest-Bearing Savings Account

Always be actively putting money from each of your paychecks in to savings. Try to always put at least 10 percent away from each check. If you feel the need to put more than 10 percent then feel free to put away more. 

One thing that a person can do to save money is to place some of the funds into an interest-bearing savings account. An interest-bearing savings account will provide a small return at the end of the year. 

Bottom line, the more you have in savings the more you will be able to get back from interest and the more you have in savings the more money you will have to withstand difficult times, especially if you have to go out on disability.

Have a Sale

A yard sale or an online auction can help a family to get rid of items that are just collecting dust in the home. The sale can create a cushion of funds for the person who is applying for disability, as well. 

Both types of sales are easy to conduct, and they don’t cost much money. The Internet sale costs only a portion of the auction’s ending proceeds. The yard sale costs nothing other than your personal time to conduct. This is also a great opportunity to get rid of any unwanted or unused items.

Cut Some of the Bills

One can try to prepare financially by cutting some of the unnecessary bills in the household. For example, most people don’t need all the premium channels on the cable bill or the features on the phone bill. 

A disabled person can start by cutting those bills down to a minimum. The consumer can try some changes in the automobile insurance, as well. Basically if you don’t need it and can do without it, it might be a good idea to get rid of it. Any unnecessary expenses that can be cut will help you and anyone in your family survive financially in the event that someone in your family has to file for disability. 

After all, it is better to make sure the lights stay on and food is on the table than it is to be paying for things like Netflix or any other guilty pleasures that you might have.

Conduct Some Work-From-Home Activities

A person can save money while waiting for disability by performing work-from-home activities. The amount of work that the person does will depend on his or her level of functionality. 

Examples of work-from-home opportunities are affiliate marketing, writing, web design, software engineering, customer service and more. Many jobs are available for people who want to make money while they are out of work. 

Save the Number to a Reliable Attorney

Finally, the disabled person should have the number to a reliable personal injury attorney. An accident can sometimes qualify as a personal injury if someone else is at fault for it. 

For example, auto accidents can occur because of distracted driving, which is an illegal offense. An attorney such as someone from Arrington Schelin & Munsey PC. can help sort through the mess.

Residents do not have to get caught out there with no financial cushion. The previously mentioned tips can help such a person to prepare for the worst.

Millennials Concerned with the Rising Costs of College are Making Better Choices - Infographic

The latest undergrads are running into way more debt than ever before, in fact record setting debt, as reported from new research of over 400 students across the United States surveyed by CreditSesame.

While the price of school continues to go through the roof the Millennials, those born between 1981 and 2004, are still enthusiastic about going to college and believe it will bring more benefits than ever when compared to Gen X that were interviewed. 

The primary difference between the Millennials and Gen X is with how much attention the newest undergraduates are picking their degree and exactly how much it helps them build a solid career future.

The following is a detailed overview of the survey:

• Wages: We found that greater than 10% of Millennial families made over $150k annually while just 3% of Gen X families met that same mark. Next up, over 25% of Millennial parents reached $110k annually whereas only 4% of Gen X met that level. On the lower side of the scale you'll find only 16% of Millennial families earning below $32k per year but one-third of Gen X parents making that income.
• The Pay: Over 25% of Millennials went to a college where the tuition ended up being $25k or more, as compared to just 6% of Gen X. By contrast, one half of Gen X spent less than $10k a year for college, whereas just 27% of Millennials spent below that amount.
• Salary for Knowledge: Our data also showed the importance of income when it came to deciding what major to go into, and it was drastically different for the two generations. For Millennials an astounding 33% asserted that their salary had a large influence on their decision, however only 14% of Gen X concurred that income was a major deciding factor.
• What is Your Honest Opinion?: When asked if higher education will be worth the price tag, 76% of Millennials said yes, but only 68% of Gen X agreed.

Edvisors states the class of 2015 is probably the most debt stricken class in American history and yet Millennials continue to defend higher education. With good reason that is, given that “Americans with 4-year university degrees made 98% more an hour on average in 2013 than people without a degree,” as per a study of Labor Department data from the Economic Policy Institute. But that doesn’t help make the student debt any less overwhelming.

Fortunately, school loans do not have to control the way you live. Here are some of the ways you can maintain management over your student loan debt:

• Manage Your Loans - Routinely managing your current loans and decreasing them anytime you can isn't only a wise short-term choice, it can also benefit your financial position long-term
• The Help - Find personalized assessment and payment alternatives from organizations such as Credit Sesame
• Be Wary: Interest - By paying more than your monthly minimum every month, or whenever possible, you could lower the interest rate you'll have to pay back. It may well seem like common sense advice, however it is hardly ever heeded with extra income which generally ends up in recreational expenditures
• Consult Your Loan Provider - For anyone who is having issues paying back those student loans, one of your best solutions is to get hold of your loan provider to see about possibly deferring a few of the installments or even decreasing them 

Although the cost of post-secondary education was drastically cheaper for Gen X, the possibilities it exposed to those born within that age group were nothing similar to those of today. 

Presently, a large number of Millennials are selecting universities and majors that may mirror rewarding professions both straight out of university as well as in the future. Even though loans for the new age group of students are not altogether avoidable, it doesn't need to control their way of life. 

With careful planning to take measures to handle debt while in school and after graduation you'll be able to substantially lessen the amount you owe and place yourself in a secure financial situation heading forward.